After the death of Paul VI in 1979, followed by that of John Paul I in a few weeks, John Paul II was elected. A dedicated Polish anti-leftist who openly acknowledged he favored the absolute power of the papacy, he immediately became wildly popular.
Interesting note: when he was young in Wadowice, Poland, John Paul II's greatest ambition was to be an actor.
In these years, as he later described himself, he was “completely absorbed by a passion for literature, especially dramatic literature, and for the theater” (Pope John Paul II, Gift and Mystery).
https://danielmcinerny.blogspot.com/2011/04/pope-john-paul-ii-actor.html